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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. march — the month
  6. shower — rain
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pop — to visit
  9. march — music
  10. charge — a price
  11. pop — music
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — the tool
  15. charge — electricity
  16. shower — to wash
  17. rash — hasty
  18. charge — in control
  19. scale — size or range
  20. rash — a series
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pop — soda
  24. march — the month

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com